**************
Buffy and Spike climbed out of the trapdoor, one at a time,
looking around the room they had just entered.
Expecting to see her friends waiting on them, Buffy gasped.
"Spike, this is NOT the lobby!"
Spike continued looking around at the oddly decorated room as if
he might be able to discern an explanation for their presence
there from something on the brightly colored walls. He ignored
Buffy completely as he studied their surroundings.
"UGH!" Buffy wailed, throwing her arms up in the air. "WHAT
NOW?" she yelled. "What do you want from us, damn it?"
Complete silence was her answer.
Realizing she was freaking out, Spike grabbed her by the arms
and shook her. "Get a grip, pet! I need you to focus. . . This
is some sort of game, a test of sorts. That's all. You can do
this; you're the bloody Slayer."
Buffy heaved a sigh of resignation and nodded her head. "Spike,
there's no door. How do we get out of here?"
"We have to roll the dice to proceed, I expect." he said
sarcastically.
"What. . . dice?" she asked, confused. She didn't see any dice.
What the hell was he talking about?
"Just a joke, pet. The door in the dungeon wasn't visible until
the vision came, so maybe we've got another one in store. That's
how we're able to find our way out," he explained, looking
around as he replied. He let go of her arms and started feeling
around the walls, trying to find where another door could be.
"Spike, I don't think this some computer game where we can solve
puzzles and move to the next room. The ghosts seem to be in full
control here. Maybe we should ask them?"
"Do YOU know how to contact ghosts, luv?" he retorted, still
feeling around.
"No, but it's a better idea than feeling walls like you're in a
Scooby Doo movie."
He glared at her, stopping his search momentarily. "Since you
know everything, then YOU figure it out. Bitch," he muttered,
pulling his smokes out to calm his nerves.
"You know, below, you were different. Especially concerning
Drusilla. What happened to you? You switch personalities at the
drop of a hat, Spike. One minute you're all soft and tender and
the next you're trying to prove you're still the Big Bad. I
don't buy that you were always bad after what I just saw."
Spike sighed, a deep sadness washing over him as he looked into
her eyes. "I was very different when I was alive." He looked
away, deciding whether he wanted to share this with her. He'd
never even shared some of it with Dru.
"I had a family: a sister whom I loved dearly and a mother who
doted on us. I was quite the dandy in my day. My father passed
away when I was a lad, and my mother, bless her soul, never
remarried. She never wanted another, said none could take my
father's place and their love was made in heaven. I, like my
mother, had the heart of the poet and the mind of a fool." He
smiled wistfully. "I was in love then, and she didn't love me;
she thought I was beneath her."
Suddenly, Buffy didn't hate Spike so much anymore. In fact, she
was having a hard time not wrapping her arms around him and
giving him a huge hug. He looked so forlorn and upset that she
couldn't imagine ever telling him he was beneath her. **What
kind of person says something like that anyways? Could she be
more full of herself?** An intense dislike formed in her mind
for the girl who had broken Spike's heart, and she couldn't
bring herself to ask why.
After a moment of silence, he rubbed his eyes, and continued.
"Dru turned me and I didn't have to be a weak fool ever again.
The end." Looking into her eyes, he saw the tears there.
Reaching out, he touched her cheek, his thumb catching a tear as
it fell. As his head bent toward hers, a door became visible.
"I guess we passed the test then. Shall we proceed?" he asked,
taking her hand.
They walked through the door just as Xander was walking by.
Xander stopped, looking confused. Staring at their entwined
hands, he mumbled, "You're not there; this door is not here.
You're not holding her hand, and I'm going now."
Buffy stepped forward. "Xander?"
Xander continued to mumble to himself as he walked away.
Buffy shook her head ruefully. "Xander!"
Xander stopped walking and slowly turned around, looking at
Buffy closely. "Buffy? Real Buffy or non-Buffy?"
"Xander, what are you talking about? It's me, Buffy. The ONLY
Buffy. Are you feeling okay?"
"Well, you were there, and now you're here. Giles is worried,
and obviously, I'm not feeling very well."
"Come on, Xan, you need to lie down," she said, taking his arm
as they walked towards their rooms. "Where's Giles?"
Xander looked at her strangely. "Oh Giles, he's in the-- We're
supposed to meet in Giles' room in a few minutes to go look for
you and Junior."
Buffy nodded and motioned for Spike to follow her. Surprisingly,
he did, opening the door to the Watcher's room for her so she
could steer Xander in more easily.
Giles stood up as they walked into the room. "Oh, Buffy, there
you are! We've been quite worried."
"Sorry, got a little detoured. This place is one big maze, and
someone has a yen for me. Doors are there, and then they're
not."
"Sit down. I've been thinking, and I believe this place is a
puzzle of sorts."
Spike harrumphed. "A kewpie doll for the Watcher. Of course it's
a bloody puzzle! Then again, you'd know that if you'd been
traipsing around like the Slayer and I have."
Giles gave Spike a curious look, then continued on as if he
hadn't spoken. "The puzzle is yours, Buffy, and you must fit the
pieces together. If not, we may all be doomed."
Buffy groaned. "Bearer of bad news much? Why is it always me who
has to do these impossible tasks in order to save everyone?"
"Well, you are the Slayer," Giles started to say.
"I know. The Chosen One, the one girl throughout the world who
has no life." She rolled her eyes. Buffy walked towards the
door. "I'm tired. I'll be in my room if the puzzle requires a
new piece or something," she grumbled. Turning to face the
vampire, she asked, "Coming, Spike?"
He nodded, surprised at her invitation. "Sure, pet." He turned
to the other men, a smug smile on his face. "Watcher. Whelp."
With that, he followed Buffy to their room, leaving the two
remaining men in shocked silence.